Army improves racism record

The army has launched recuritment campaigns targeting ethnic minorities

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) has decided not to take further action against the army for previously allowing racism in its ranks.

The CRE, a Government-appointed body, said its move was in recognition of major improvements in policies and practice implemented by the armed forces over the past two years.

After a lengthy investigation, the organisation lifted the threat of a Non-Discrimination Notice - effectively legal sanctions to impose race equality measures - against the Ministry of Defence.

It has also entered a five-year voluntary partnership with the armed forces to help with its equal opportunities policy.

The Armed Forces Minister, Dr John Reid, has welcomed the CRE's decision, saying the armed forces are fully committed to entrenching the changes it has made.

"We will work together with the Commission for Racial Equality to root out racism and to ensure that all personnel are left in no doubt that racial harassment will not be tolerated," Dr Reid said.

Guards: poor record

The investigation focused on the the army's Household Division, better known as the Guards, which has been under-represented by ethnic minorities.

At one stage the ethnic make up of the Guards, who watch over Britain's Royal family, was just 0.5%. It has now reached 1.7%.

The Guards want their ethnic recruits to mirror that of the general population - around 7%.

In the armed forces as whole just 1% of those serving are from the ethnic minorities and the government has said it wants ethnic representation to rise to 5%.

Poor record

Several cases of racism in the armed forces have come to light in the past 10 years.

In 1988, when Mark Parchment enlisted in the Royal Marines, his instructor told him that, as he was black, his weapon would be a spear rather than a rifle.

His senior also told him he would be referred to as "Badingi" and the marine was humiliated by having to clean his spear every day and take it on manoevres.

On joining a Scottish commando unit, Mr Parchment was subjected to a special initiation ceremony said to be for "niggers".

Another black man who joined the Household Cavalry in 1990 suffered racial abuse and hate mail.

Richard Stokes resigned after having a banana thrown at him during a rehearsal for the Trooping of the Colour.

In 1994, the Household division invited Mark Campbell to join the mounted ranks of the Life Guards.

He later said that, as the first black man in the Guard's 400-year history, he expected some problems.

But he did not reckon on having his bed soaked in urine, incessant taunts of "nigger" and receiving a note saying, "There is no black in the Union Jack".

After 17 months he left the army.

Other such cases of racial harassment have resulted in compensation for black soldiers.

Measures taken

The CRE decided to give the army a last chance to improve its poor image without taking legal measures.

Campaigns to encourage new recruits

The threat of a Non-Discrimination Notice, which would have effectively allowed the Commission to dictate army race policy, prompted the service to put measures in place to address the situation.

Army recruitment teams have been holding special meetings to try to persuade young blacks and Asians to join up.

Even the Guards, the focus of the worst criticism, now have their own equal opportunities policy.

With senior commanders backing big changes the army introduced more equal opportunities training, a confidential helpline and severe punishment for racial harassment.

Colonel Wayne Harber from the Army Recruitment Agency said pressure from the CRE has helped.

"The CRE really pointed the way forward for us," he said.

"In the past we didn't necessarily have the mechanisms in place to either monitor the numbers we had coming into the army or serving in the army and we certainly didn't have the confidence of those officers within our ranks incase something went wrong."